1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to amusement apparatuses, such as carrousels, ferris wheels, centrifugal tumblers, virtual reality arcade and motion picture devices, roller coasters, and flight training and simulation systems.
2. Background Art
A problem with many amusement devices is that they are static in that the rider achieves substantially the same ride each time. Certain rides permit some degree of passenger control, such as the ubiquitous Tilt-A-Whirl.RTM. found at many fairs and amusement parks.
The present invention permits the creation of rides, both new and retrofitted, in which the passenger may spin in a pod in a manner controlled by the passenger and independent of other passengers. This is achieved by motor control of a brake system by the passenger of a pod which rotates about an axle at substantially the center of gravity of the pod.
Examples of rides which provide some rotation capabilities, with or without passenger control, are U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,574, to Sassak (spherical body with no axle); U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,434, to Dupuis (spherical body spinning about a bottom connection); U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,943, to Achrekar (pods swinging about an end thereof); U.S. Pat. No. 2,499,470, to Duncan (spherical body rotating about trunnions, like a cannon); U.S. Pat. No. 2,498,450, to Pewitt (rotation not about an axle and apparently not about a point substantially at the center of gravity); U.S. Pat. No. 2,135,230, to Courtney (swingable seats about a point near the top of the seat); and U.S. Pat. No. 142,605, to Yates (rotation about pivots with no passenger control).